


long live

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (and is also not a werewolf), Beauxbatons Student Remus, Durmstrang Student Sirius, Established James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, F/F, F/M, James is a Champion, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Remus Lupin is Bad at Feelings, Remus is a Champion, Sirius Black is a Little Shit, Sirius is a Champion, Triwizard Tournament, it's a good time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:14:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In September 1976, the Goblet of Fire chose three champions to participate in the Triwizard Tournament: James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, of Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons respectively.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 13
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> essentially, i wrote this because i love the idea of beauxbatons remus (and him dating durmstrang sirius).
> 
> updates on this will be slow because school exists but i will finish it. i promise. (eventually anyway)
> 
> the title is from the song of the same name by taylor swift and it works do well for this and the marauders in general. happy reading! :)

The atmosphere on the Hogwarts Express crackled with an excited energy. Everyone was eager to return to the castle; it was to be more than another year of learning. Hogwarts was set to host the Triwizard Tournament for the first time in years. One carriage on the train, the third from the back, in particular, was alive with an electric buzz.

Inside sat James Potter, who fidgeted with more nervous anticipation than he had felt during his first time on the train, Peter Pettigrew, who was chatting animatedly with his best friends, and Lily Evans, who sat with her head in a book, trying and failing to wipe the grin off her face. Her boyfriend’s excitement was, after all, extremely infectious.

“Even if I’m not made champion, I still can’t wait.” James announced for the third time in ten minutes. Lily peered at him over the top of her book, and seeing this, he grinned and nudged her gently with his elbow.

“Would be great to get it though, wouldn’t it, babe?”

“I suppose so,” Lily said with a shrug, but she was smiling all the same, “A thousand Galleons would be nice.”

Peter shot James a look, “You’re not gonna make me enter, are you?”

“Aw, come on, Pete. Eternal glory!”

“I’m fine with just being Peter, thanks.”

James kicked him lightly in the leg, “Nothing ‘just’ about being Peter, mate.”

“That doesn’t make much sense.”

Lily put her book down and ruffled Peter’s hair, “Sentiment’s there though, love.”

James jumped up suddenly, sending the sweets and Chocolate Frog cards that had been lying on his lap cascading to the floor.

“Shit, we’re here!” He grabbed everyone’s luggage from the rack and shoved it all none too gently onto the seat next to his.

Lily huffed and grabbed her suitcase before he could throw Peter’s on top of it, “Careful, James. I’ve got my new cauldron in there!”

“Can’t believe you’re taking Potions this year,” Peter said as they filed out of the train, looking at Lily like she had a screw loose.

“She has to,” James was walking backwards so he could face them both, “Slughorn would have a fit if his favourite abandoned him.”

“I’m hardly his favourite,” Lily said with a laugh. They claimed one of the carriages waiting outside the station for themselves and soon began the slow descent up to the castle.

Each of them drew in a sharp breath as Hogwarts came into view. Even though it was their sixth year, neither of them would grow tired of seeing the magnificent building. It stood proudly against the stars, ever a beacon of welcome. They were home.

A blanket of loud whispers enrobed the crowd of students as they exited the carriages. A strange ship sat dormant in the boatyard. It was an enormous, unwieldy beast and would not have looked out of place in a pirate movie.

“Durmstrang,” Peter whispered, awestruck, and he pointed at the red and yellow crest printed on its largest sail. James looked at Lily for conformation. She nodded without taking her eyes off the ship.

James felt a thrill of excitement trip down his spine and he threw his arms around Peter and Lily, “Come on. I wanna see them.”

*

Dumbledore threw his arms wide, and the chatter from the four tables died instantly.

“A very warm welcome back to Hogwarts! Now, as I am sure you are all aware,” He cast an eye over the eager faces looking up at him and grinned widely, “This school year will not be an ordinary one. For the first time in nearly a century, Hogwarts will play host to the Triwizard Tournament, and with it, our school’s closest associates: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute.”

A murmur fell amongst the students. Dumbledore allowed it to continue for a moment until he called for silence once more.

“Now, in its prime, the Tournament was considered to be an excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities. That is until the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued. Since this year marks its revival, the Ministry of Magic has been forced to consider how to make the event safer to, at the very least, lower the toll. As such, it has been decided that only students in their 6th year and above are allowed to put forth their names.”

Angry protests sprang out from the tables of students. A group of 5th year Slytherins got particularly animated. On James’s face, however, sat a huge grin, and he leant across the table to whisper in Lily’s ear, “How lucky is that, huh?” She beamed at him in return.

“Now, now. Thank you. We will select three champions to compete in the Tournament, one from each school. And to provide an impartial selection…” Dumbledore held his hand out towards a door to his left, just as Filch exited through it, carrying something covered in a cloth.

With some effort, he placed it at Dumbledore’s feet and hobbled back out of the room. Dumbledore pulled the cloth off at once, revealing a large, bronze goblet on a lavishly bejewelled base.

“The Goblet of Fire!” He announced to the room, “Anyone who wishes to enter must place their name into the goblet before the week is up. I must warn any underage student who tries to enter their name; you may find it a hairy feat. Now,” Dumbledore returned to his podium and clapped his hands, “If you will join me in welcoming our brothers and sisters from Durmstrang Institute and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!”

Right on cue, the hall doors burst open and in from the Entrance Hall, marched a dozen boys and girls, all in their late teens. They were dressed in fur-trimmed red coats and were in a tight formation. Leading them was a rather short man, with brown hair and a goatee, both flecked with grey. He marched up onto the raised platform where the teachers sat and embraced Dumbledore like a brother.

Dumbledore waved the Durmstrang students forward and directed them to the Slytherin table, where they’d already eagerly made space for them.

“Shoulda known they’d sit with them,” James muttered darkly.

Lily slapped him on the arm, “Don’t stereotype. I’m sure they’re not all bad.”

As she said that, James locked eyes with a Durmstrang boy, the one who had walked directly next to Karkaroff. He was looking wistfully at the Gryffindor table and the enchanted night sky that hung above it, but still flashed James a cheeky grin. He gladly returned it.

“So,” Dumbledore said, after Karkaroff had taken his place at the teacher’s table, “I am also delighted to welcome the students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime.”

The doors opened once again, but more gently this time. Filch waved in a group of teenagers, all dressed from head to toe in powder blue and very good-looking. Two of them were leading the others. One was a pixie-faced girl with shoulder-length brown hair, the other a boy, with floppy, honey-coloured curls and a faded scar cutting across his face. The students seated in the hall began talking amongst themselves, even more so when an extremely tall and willowy woman, also dressed in blue silk, followed them in.

Peter was studying them with interest, “They’re all Veelas, aren’t they?”

“I don’t think so, Pete,” James said, glancing sideways at Lily who was also looking them up and down, “Why? You interested?”

“Not particularly,” Peter wrinkled his nose as a girl near the back did a rather seductive twirl and blew a kiss at one of the Hufflepuffs.

The tall woman stepped around her students, who were now crowded in front of Dumbledore’s stand. She shook hands with him and flashed a wide smile at the other teachers. The Beauxbatons students seated themselves at the Ravenclaw table as Madame Maxime sat down next to Professor McGonagall.

“Our guests have already been informed of the rules so, without further ado, let the feast begin!”

Magnificent food and drinks of all varieties appeared on the tables as Dumbledore flicked his wrist. Those who had journeyed to Hogwarts for the event all looked pleasantly surprised and tucked in eagerly.

“You know,” Peter said, pouring himself some juice, “Eternal glory is so overrated, especially when you get the elves’ pumpkin pie is involved.”

Lily clinked her water goblet against his, “Hear, hear, Pete.”

They passed the rest of the night with equal parts merriment and gluttony. And, just before midnight and in various states of food-coma, the students ambled back to their respective dormitories.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// (a bit of) period-typical homophobic language
> 
> this chapter's a bit choppy and there are multiple povs. it was just a necessary filler chapter really.
> 
> happy reading!

The Goblet of Fire stood in the Great Hall. It looked imposing in the darkened room, illuminated by the ring of electric-blue fire that surrounded it. Students sat chatting and students at the tables that had been pushed against the wall, all occasionally glancing at the spectacle.

James burst into the Hall less than five minutes after his last lesson, followed by a group of sixth year Gryffindors all jostling each other and cheering James on. Frank Longbottom gave him a shove as they neared the centre of the room. James staggered forwards, steadied himself and drew to eye level with the Goblet.

In his hand was a scrap of paper with a hastily scribbled James Potter written on it. (Lily had told him to write it neater; James figured Dumbledore was definitely smart enough to decipher it).

He turned towards the crowd and caught Peter’s eye. He gave James a thumbs up in return. And, without looking, James threw his name into the blue flames flickering in the goblet's mouth. Basking in the cheers from his small audience, he swaggered out of the Age Line’s circle, high-fiving Benji Fenwick and throwing his arm around Peter. On his way out of the room, he grabbed Lily and kissed her squarely on the mouth. She smiled into the kiss and returned it just as fervently, only pulling away to mumble something about premature celebration.

*

A few hours after James had entered his name, Remus was sitting in the Great Hall, drinking hot chocolate and desperately trying to ignore the puppy-dog eyes that Alice and Fabian were giving him. They had been trying and, so far, failing to convince Remus to enter himself into the Tournament.

“Come on, Rem!” Fabian said, throwing up his hands, “Your name might not even be drawn.” Alice threw him a pointed look, which he graciously ignored and carried on, “And if it is, you’ll absolutely kill it.”

“It’d absolutely kill me,” Remus mumbled darkly.

Alice scooped a bit of cream off his drink with her finger and grinned cheekily as she ate it, “Yeah, with that attitude, it will. But seriously, you’re the best in the year at DADA. Fabian’s right, you will kill it.”

“I wouldn’t say I was the best.”

“Well, I would,” Alice said with an air of finality. That was always the way with Alice; her word was final. She was as bossy as she was kind, and she could have won awards for altruism.

“So, what do you say?” Fabian asked, with a grin that suggested he already knew the answer. Remus huffed indignantly but didn’t get the chance to reply as the Hall doors opened and a line of Durmstrang students marched in, led by their Headmaster.

The other students in the hall watched with interest as, one by one, they put their names into the Goblet. Their faces all held the same expression, one of serious determination but with a light in their eyes that spoke of pride and victory. They looked as if they had already won the Cup.

One boy, however, stood out from the rest. He was at the back of the line, holding his hands behind his back and wearing a grimace that spoke volumes about how little he wanted to be there. He was also, as Remus couldn’t help but notice, incredibly handsome. Remus only hoped he wasn’t blushing.

The line continued to move forward until the boy was next in line. He glanced across to his right, caught Remus’s gaze, and something fell between them, something charged with a strange energy. Remus noticed the boy’s eyes, wolf-grey and all-knowing, and the soft, black hair that fell into them. He too was looking at Remus as if he liked what he saw, if the sharp inhale he took was anything to go by.

If Karkaroff hadn’t waved the boy forwards with an impatient “Sirius!”, it was possible the pair of them would have stayed staring at each other forever, held in place by that strange, electric energy. Sirius moved forwards, his movements fluid and graceful, and threw his name into the Goblet. He caught Remus’s eye again on his way out. He flashed him a bright grin, revealing pearly white teeth. If it was even possible, Remus felt his cheeks growing even hotter.

He turned back towards Alice and Fabian. Both of them were looking at him expectantly, heads propped on their clasped hands.

“Sooo,” Alice said with a salacious grin, “You didn’t answer Fabian’s question.”

Remus gave her a long look and sighed, “Fine. I’ll do it.” He grabbed the paper and quill Fabian was holding, tore off a bit of it and scribbled down his name. He walked over to the Goblet and threw his name in, while his fellow Beauxbatons students cheered him on.

*

Several days passed, and they’d been strange ones for Sirius. He took the time between classes to explore the castle and its grounds, marvelling at it all. Durmstrang was fairly new compared to Hogwarts, and while it could beat the castle in size, it could not in beauty. The paintings, the labyrinth of corridors, the rolling green hills, all of it. Sirius often trailed back onto the ship with a heavy longing wedged in his chest.

He had wanted to go to Hogwarts desperately. Begging, crying and pleading to his parents had done him no good; he had been punished severely for it. Orion and Walburga were hell-bent on sending both their sons to Durmstrang, a school that, with its proclivities for the Dark Arts and pure-blood supremacy, suited the elder Blacks well. Regulus fitted in like a glove, making friends, excelling at Dark Arts and absorbing the school’s toxic atmosphere in all his naïve youth.

But Sirius didn’t. He always knew he was cut from a different cloth to the rest of his family, and school did nothing but confirm that. In fact, if it wasn’t for Orion’s bribery (including a hefty sum for making Sirius Head Boy), he was sure they would have kicked him out for all of his mischief-making.

He sat on the evening of the Choosing Ceremony in the Great Hall, staring up at the enchanted ceiling. It was cloudy, the moon and stars just peeping through, and there were occasional small claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. He let his mind wander, imagined his life if he’d gotten his Hogwarts wish. If only.

“Sirius!” Marlene snapped her fingers in front of his face, jerking him out of his reverie, “We’ve been trying to talk to you for the last five minutes.”

Dorcas nodded her agreement, “Yeah, you’re properly away with the fairies tonight… if that’s not too ironic.”

“Sod off, Meadowes.”

“What’s up with you?” Marlene said, her voice a snap but the hand on Sirius’s arm gentle.

“Is it the Beauxbatons kid?”

Sirius looked between the girls, “How do you know about that?”

Marlene and Dorcas exchanged a knowing look. They had always had this weird thing, Sirius noticed, where they just seemed to know what the other was thinking, long before they started dating. Neither was a Legilimens; they thought that was a waste of time. But it seemed, quite simply, that nothing got past them.

“Because you’re not subtle, Black.”

“Dorc and I just know when you like someone. It’s always stupidly obvious.”

Sirius threw them an affronted look, “No, it’s not.”

“Of course not, love,” Marlene ruffled his hair affectionately. She knew he hated that.

Dumbledore chose that moment to ask for everyone’s attention, before Sirius had the chance to mess up Marlene’s hair in retaliation.

“The time has finally come,” He addressed the crowd, “Where we choose three champions to partake in this year’s Triwizard Tournament.”

“Glad he cleared that up,” Dorcas tutted, “Here was me thinking it was for next year.”

As if he heard her, Dumbledore glanced over at the huddle of Durmstrang students before he continued, “Many consider it a great honour to be chosen, but I must warn every one of you that this contest is not for the faint of heart.”

He walked over to the Goblet and placed one hand on its base, “So, without further ado, I would like to begin with choosing the champion for Beauxbatons Academy.”

A nervous twittering broke out amongst the Beauxbatons lot. Sirius studied the crowd, looking for the boy he had admittedly been mooning over. He found him sitting near the back and tried to catch his eyes, but they were glued to the Goblet.

Dumbledore raised his hand until he was almost touching the flames. They turned a scarlet red immediately and spat out a name. The paper sailed through the air and Dumbledore caught it effortlessly.

“Remus Lupin!” He called, scanning the Beauxbatons students. The boy Sirius had been watching stood up, tentatively at first, but confidence straightened his back as he walked towards Dumbledore. He shook hands with the old Headmaster, offered him a small smile and hurried into the small room that led off the Great Hall. The Goblet spat out another name as soon as Remus shut the door.

“The Hogwarts champion,” Dumbledore looked rather amused, “Is James Potter.”

There was an uproar from the Gryffindor table. A group of boys stood up and propelled James forward, who looked very pleased with himself. He shook hands with Dumbledore, shot Professor McGonagall a cheeky grin and disappeared into the other room.

“And last but not least,” Dumbledore grabbed the final name, “The champion for Durmstrang is… Sirius Black!”

Sirius didn’t hear his name at first. He only saw Marlene’s face, contorted in fear, then anger, and finally joy, all in quick succession. Dorcas pulled him up, shouting congratulations into his ear. And Sirius realised then, seeing all the expectant faces around him, just what he had gotten himself into.

However, he couldn’t help, as he strutted towards the other room with the cheers of his fellow students ringing in his ears, but feel exalted.


End file.
